Manchester City’s Rodri out for long period with serious knee injury

Rodri is set to be out for a long period after suffering a serious knee injury in the Premier League draw with Arsenal and there are fears he may not return this season.

The Manchester City midfielder went down clutching his right knee and had to be substituted after 21 minutes at the Etihad Stadium. The player tripped and fell after rushing towards the front post at a corner while being marked by Thomas Partey.

He immediately showed signs of pain, and several of his colleagues rushed to point him in for medical attention.

Rodri left the pitch accompanied by two members of Manchester City’s medical staff and was replaced by Mateo Kovacic.

Tests revealed a serious injury, and further tests are scheduled to be carried out in Spain. There is no official timetable for his recovery, however, sources close to the player have indicated that he could be out for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

Without him, Manchester City fell behind by a goal before coming back to draw 2-2 and return to the top of the Premier League.

Sunday’s match was Rodri’s first start of the season as Pep Guardiola eased him back into action after his involvement in the European Championship in the summer.

The 28-year-old was substituted in the second half of Spain’s win over England in the final with a hamstring injury and only returned to training on Wednesday ahead of the start of the Premier League season.

Rodri said on Tuesday that professional players were “close” to striking because of the increasing number of matches in the football calendar.

The Spain international played 4,327 minutes in 50 games for his club last season and faces the prospect of an 11-month campaign in 2024-25 if City reach the final of the inaugural Club World Cup, scheduled for July 13 next year.

Asked about the possibility of players striking due to the high number of matches, Rodri said: “Yes, I think we are close to that. If it continues like this we will have no other choice. It worries us.”

Rodri was injured in the first half against Arsenal (Karl Rijsen/Getty Images)

A recent report by the international players’ union FIFPro on player welfare concluded that the 2024-25 season is set to be the “worst” in terms of workload.

“Between 40 and 50 games, a player can perform at his highest level. After that, his level drops because it is impossible to maintain the physical level. This year, we will probably reach 70 or maybe 80 games. In my humble opinion, I think that is too much,” Rodri added.

“Someone has to take care of us because we are the main figures in this field, let’s say, sports, or business, or whatever you want to call it.

“It’s not all about money or marketing. It’s about the quality of the show. In my opinion, when I’m not tired, I perform better. If people want to watch better football, we need to rest.”

Manchester City next play Watford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, while Newcastle United host their next Premier League match on Saturday.

(Michael Regan/Getty Images)